We do not hold in our hands | We do not hold in our hands

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Nous ne tenons

(Sung text for setting by J. Leguerney)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Nous ne tenons en notre main 
Le temps futur du lendemain; 
La vie n'a point d'assurance, 
Et pendant que nous désirons 
La faveur des Rois, nous mourons 
Au milieu de notre espérance. 

L'homme après son dernier trépas 
Plus ne boit ni mange là-bas, 
Et sa grange qu'il a laissée 
Pleine de blé devant sa fin 
Et sa cave pleine de vin 
Ne lui viennent plus en pensée. 

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2 of the original text.

Composition:

Jacques Leguerney

Poèmes de la Pléiade, Vol. VII

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title, subtitle: "Odelette à Corydon", appears in L'inspiration anacréontique , no. 1

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (David Wyatt) , "We do not hold in our hands", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 36
Word count: 187

We do not hold in our hands

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Leguerney)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

We do not hold in our hands
What the future holds for tomorrow;
Life gives us no assurances
And while we seek
The favour of kings, we die
In the midst of our hopes.

Man after his eventual death
No longer drinks or eats in the Beyond,
And his barn which he left
Full of corn before his end
And his cellar full of wine
No longer come to his mind.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 by David Wyatt, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title, subtitle: "Odelette à Corydon", appears in L'inspiration anacréontique , no. 1
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This text was added to the website: 2012-06-23
Line count: 36
Word count: 206